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..... Optical Illusions are the Name of the Game! ..... Optical Illusions occur because our brains misinterpret what our eyes are sensing. The reason our brain misinterprets these signals is that it attempts to make the most sense out of visual information as rapidly as possible. The brain using these "shortcuts" is what leads to incorrect processing of visual information. Our brain is the boss, in charge of making sense of the world, but it's not always right! The brain will perceive what it EXPECTS to perceive, not always what is there!
~Activities~ ..."Mirror Drawing"... Try to trace in between the two stars, its much more difficult that you'd think, isn't it? The reason this occurs is because visual sensations tell you to move one way, but in order to replicate the pattern, you must draw in the opposite direction. Thus, there is competition between what your eyes see and your brain expects!
...Chalice vs. Face and Kanizsa Figures... Take a look at the images below. Write down on a piece of paper what you think each figure is composed of, then continue scrolling down the page! This is a Kanizsa Figure: Image Courtesy of Scienceblogs.com (http://scienceblogs.com/mixingmemory/upload/2007/05/Kanizsatriangle.jpg ) This is a Chalice/Faces Illusion: Image Courtesy of sapdesignguild.com (http://www.sapdesignguild.org/resources/optical_illusions/images/faces.gif ) There are no right answers to what the above images are composed of! What is really important is what you saw. The reason we see a either a chalice or two faces in the first figure, or layered triangles and circles instead of "Pacman" shapes is that our brain uses common figure and ground relationships to make sense of information. It makes more sense to see a chalice or faces rather than two squiggly lines, just as it makes more sense to see two triangles and three circles rather than a bunch of lines that are not connected. ...Railroad (Ponzo) and Curved Line (Herring) Illusions... These illusions occur because of competing depth cues contained in the figures. Our brain searches for depth cues in order to establish the relative size of objects When we are provided with inconsistent cues, we have difficulty accurately processing stimuli. Take a look, are the lines curved or parallel? ...A Herring Illusion:... Image Courtesy of prismfernglass.de (http://www.prismenfernglas.de/images/optik03.JPG ) Are the lines below the same size, or is one larger than the other? ...A Ponzo Illusion:... Image Courtesy of ips-planetarium.org (http://www.ips-planetarium.org/planetarian/articles/newthoughtsonmoonillusion/MIfig3.gif) ...The Moon Illusion...
Does not the moon look HUGE at certain times of the night? Do you think the moon gets bigger and smaller as the night progresses? What would you say if we told you that if you go outside at anytime of night, the moon will always be the size of a pencil eraser? Go ahead (with you parents permission), take a pencil outside and put this to the test! Diagram courtesy of the BBC. (http://news.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/05/magazine_the_moon_illusion/img/3.jpg) ~Real World Examples of these Illusions~ Ame's Room: The Ame's room uses depth perception cues to create size differences between two people. Because of the room's shape, our eyes cannot accurately process the figures in relation to each other. Examples of the room's use are "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" and "Lord of the Rings." The reason why this happens! ~MC Escher~ MC Escher artwork: Escher uses optical illusions and spatial tricks to create works of art known as "perspective paintings." Below are several examples of these remarkable works. Image Courtesy of britton.disted.camosun.bc.ca (http://britton.disted.camosun.bc.ca/escher/waterfall.jpg) ~Materials Needed~ Two mirrors White Computer Paper Colored pencils/markers/pen Shape Templates Optical Illusion Printouts Poster Board Candy Girls Scouts! |
